Emirates Team New Zealand launched their AC45X experimental test boat in Auckland last week. The New Zealanders have been very quiet, with little news of any substance coming out of their camp. In the last campaign some members of the team leadership felt they tipped their hand too early, showing off foiling in their AC72. They kept this boat a secret until the launch, and even then, they kept some secrets. Look closely at the photos. What’s missing?
Team New Zealand launched their AC45X test boat with a new graphic design.
The wing is an AC Class wing. You can tell by the smooth curve of the trailing edge.
Did you notice that there are no daggerboards fitted? I guess they want to keep those hidden a while longer.
Like Land Rover BAR, ETNZ has hung the rudders off an extension. The hulls of the experimental boats are 45 feet long, five feet less than the AC Class race boats. The extensions make the distance between the daggerboards and the rudders closer to the geometry of the AC Class yachts.
Land Rover BAR rudder mounts ETNZ rudder mounts